职业与工作方法miguelrochefort.com
我用 3 个月、不到 5000 美元拿下了计算机科学学位（2020）
I got a computer science degree in 3 months for less than $5000 (2020)
2020 — 2022，它一次次回到首页
黑点是上首页（≥ 50 分）的那次投稿，空心点是没冲上去的投稿，点越大分数越高。
导读
作者讲述自己如何用不到 5000 美元、在 3 个月内通过 WGU（Western Governors University）完成计算机科学学位：依靠多年自学和工作经验，在能力本位模式下快速通过课程，而不是从零开始速成。文章也引出关于学位凭证价值、在线大学质量与低成本补学历的讨论。
为什么经久不衰：它把“学位到底是能力证明还是凭证”这个争议讲得很具体，也给想低成本补学历的从业者提供了一个有争议但可参考的样本。
HN 评论精选
前 WGU 学生澄清其定位：面向在职者、能力本位、区域认证非营利，不是文凭工厂。
这里是一名前 WGU 学生，不过我没完成学位。许多 WGU 学生非常讨厌这类文章，因为它们会削弱 WGU 的正当性。WGU 不是为传统学生设计的，它完全是为在职专业人士设计，只会在你有一定领域经验时才录取你。WGU 获得的是区域性认证，而非全国性认证，且是非营利机构，所以不能和 University of Phoenix、ITT Tech、DeVry 等相提并论。它由西部一群州长创办，因此得名。他们发现很多在职成年人从长期工作中积累了很深的知识，却没有纸质凭证。WGU 采用能力本位模式：你必须在某个领域证明自己具备知识；能证明就可以马上考试通过，不能证明则提供资源帮你补足。很多课程还与行业认证挂钩。它不适合所有人，但远不是“文凭工厂”。一个人有知识，是通过坐在教室里交天价学费获得的，还是通过生活经验获得的，真的重要吗？只要设有标准且你能达到，那才是关键。
AviationAtom查看英文原文
So, former WGU student here, though I hadn't completed my degree. Many WGU students HATE these types of articles, because they undermine the legitimacy of WGU. WGU was not designed for traditional students, it was 100% designed for working professionals, where WGU will only admit you with a reasonable amount of experience in your field. WGU is regionally accredited, not nationally, and it's a non-profit. So it cannot be compared to University of Phoenix, ITT Tech, DeVry, etc. It was founded by a group of governors out west, hence the name. They realized that there were many working adults who possessed a great depth of knowledge, from long working in their fields, yet they had no paper credentials to show for that knowledge. Their model is competency-based, so you must demonstrate you posses knowledge in any given domain. If you can prove you do then you can test out right away, if you fail to then they offer a variety of resources to allow you to get up to par. In many cases classes are tied to obtaining industry certifications. It's not for everyone, but it is a far cry from a "degree mill." Does it really matter if a person that has knowledge got it from sitting in a seat, paying ungodly amounts of tuition, or if they got it from life experience? As long as a bar is set, and you can meet it, then that should be what really matters. Just my personal experience, from having attended the university. Unfortunately life sidetracked my completion, but I hope to return one day soon, and complete my program.
引用教育部审计指出 WGU 部分课程缺乏师生实质互动，曾不符合远程教育定义。
关于 WGU 的一些背景：美国教育部监察长办公室 2017 年 9 月 21 日发布的审计报告认定，WGU 不符合“限制常规学生选修函授课程比例”的机构资格要求，并指出 102 门课程中至少有 69 门并非为提供与教师的定期、实质性互动而设计，因此不符合远程教育的监管定义。后来 WGU 保留了联邦学生贷款资格，但这看起来像是因缺乏明确指引而侥幸过关。
rtkwe查看英文原文
Some context on WGU > An audit by the Department of Education's Office of Inspector General, released on September 21, 2017, "concluded that Western Governors University did not comply with the institutional eligibility requirement that limits the percentage of regular students who may enroll in correspondence courses" and that "at least 69 of the 102 courses were not designed to offer regular and substantive interaction with an instructor and, therefore, did not meet the regulatory definition of distance education." They later kept their federal loan eligibility but it sounds like it might have been a case where they skated by due to a lack of clear guidance. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_Governors_University
在读学生认为 WGU 灵活、低成本，但需要高度自律，且缺少传统大学的社交体验和项目反馈。
我昨晚刚在 WGU 学了几个小时离散数学 II，我很高兴这所学校存在。我曾花几个月想让我那所传统大学允许我远程完成 B.S.；我大三后因创业退学。长话短说，一个全职工作的成年人想完成学位又不想花 6.5 万美元，这种想法不被接受（当然疫情迫使学校远程）。后来我伴侣开始读 WGU 硕士并告诉我。虽然我大部分课程无法转学分（超过 5 年），但转了一部分通识课。现在我正缓慢但稳定地读学位，比以往更深入数学主题。我有时间真正理解，而不是勉强及格；如果已经掌握某主题也可以跳过。它可能很枯燥，有时像巨大任务。但我在学习，全职工作的同时应对挑战给我很大信心。要确保匹配一位优秀导师鼓励你并督促你。注意事项：我珍视传统大学的朋友和共同经历，这完全无法复制；价格虽相对低但涨了；自我激励至关重要；项目没有详细反馈。我欣赏它本来的样子。
_caw查看英文原文
I just put in a couple hours of studying @ WGU for Discrete Math II last night, and I'm happy that the school exists. I spent months trying to get my brick-and-mortar to allow me to complete my B.S. remotely; I had dropped out after junior year for startup reasons. Long story short, the idea that an adult working full time might want to complete their degree without dropping $65k wasn't acceptable (of course COVID forced the university remote.) Then my partner began a WGU Master's program and told me about it. Although I wasn't able to transfer in most of my courses (older than 5 years), I was able to transfer a chunk of gen-eds. Now I'm slowly but surely working through the degree, diving much deeper into math topics than I ever did before. I have the time to actually understand things instead of passing by the skin of my teeth. I also have the choice to skip a topic entirely if I know its contents. It can be a slog, and there are times where it appears a gargantuan task. But I'm learning, and the challenge of doing it while working full time gives me great confidence. Make sure you match with an excellent mentor to cheer you on while holding you accountable. Now, some things to consider: * I value the friends and shared experience I made @ brick-and-mortar university. This doesn't replicate that at all. * Prices, although relatively low, have risen. * Self-motivation is critical. * No detailed feedback on projects. I appreciate it for what it is: a self-motivated, self-paced escape hatch for those who want to earn a degree, where your experience is valued, and your bank account is respected.
三个月毕业建立在十年积累上，只适合已有经验、主要想要凭证的人，不宜当作普遍路径。
我觉得副标题可能是更好的标题——“这是我如何准备了十年，才在 3 个月内毕业的故事。”这似乎只对特定人群可行：那些已有经验、且主要想要凭证而非传统四年制学位带来的学习体验的人。不是要贬低作者的成就，只是认为暗示这是大多数人都能走的路径会误导人。
pokler查看英文原文
I think the subheading may be a better title -- 'This is the story of how I prepared for a decade to graduate in 3 months.' This seems feasible only for a specific set of people: those with previous experience & looking specifically for the credential and not so much the learning experience that comes with a traditional 4 year degree. Not to take away from the author's achievement, I just think it would be misleading to imply that this is a path that most people can take.
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